I always thought a bike helmet was for protecting a kids' heads in case they were thrown from their bike b/c a car hit them or they were sent flying through the air due to some kind of force.
It would not occur to me to out one on my almost 3 year old when he is riding around the courtyard of our apartment complex.
Am I wrong?

Hi!
I make my kids wear a helmet on their tricycles, more so because we had a close call.
When DS9 was a toddler, he was on his tricycle next to a brick planter. Somehow he managed to lean back and flip his tricycle backward, hitting his head on the edge of the brick planter. Fortunately he had a helmet on, if not, it would have been horrible. I had just made him put the helmet on 2 minutes before that.
The other 2 moms that I was standing with had the exact same thought as I did and from that moment on, we all made our kiddos wear a helmet, even on the little bikes. Having four kids, I have had many close calls and accidents, but that one definitely stayed in my head. I can still hear that thud.....
Plus, my kids are fast on their tricycles!!!! They are just as crazy on those as when they ride their regular bikes....lol It can be a pain to always get the helmet, but since they have all worn one, all the time, it is a habit now. They put one on without me having to remind them. Easier to start them young...

Yes, my 2 year old wears a helmet on his trike. For one, because he's fallen off of it, and for two, I figure it's better to start off young with helmet wearing so it's ingrained as the right thing to do when he gets old enough for a bike, and we don't have to battle about it.

Start wearing helmets young and it pays off! My nearly 5yo ds always wears his helmet when on his bike, even if just on the driveway and even when all the other kids on the street are not wearing them. From an early age he learned about bike safety & helmets and I'm still shocked at the amount of kids that do not wear helmets and ride on the wrong side of the road!

I don't make my kids wear helmets. They ride their scooters on the sidewalk in front of our house. I just don't see the need for it. We live on a quiet street, they're on the sidewalk, they don't go far. I just don't see it as a dangerous situation.

Where we live, it's the law that kids wear helmets on bikes. Period. Now mind you, if it wasn't, we would still insist on helmets. If you make an exception at some point, then how does the kid get that you should always wear your helmet? I agree, teach them young. My son wore a helmet on his tricycle since he started riding at age 1. It's just a natural thing.

You would be surprised at the level of injuries a child can get from just riding a bike or scooter. They don't have to go anywhere, they just have to hit a hard surface in the wrong way. My partner had a kid come into the ER where she works, he wasn't wearing a helmet on his scooter, he hit his head on the curb and died. No kidding.

My son wanted to wear a helmet like big kids do, I sure wasn't going to discourage it because he was "only" on a tricycle. So yes, he wore a helmet. He's now on a two-wheeler with training wheels and he wouldn't DREAM of getting on it without his helmet. I think it's good from the POV of building the habit, even if riding a trike doesn't seem particularly dangerous.

We bought DD a trike for her birthday last fall. She couldn't pedal it at first so this was a moot point. However, just the other night she said she wanted to take in on our walk, then got on and started pedaling. She was having a hard time with our driveway (going up hill) so I gave her a little push at the back of the trike. She fell over backwards. Luckily I caught her. We still went on the ride, but I stayed close. We discussed that we would get her a bike helmet. She wants a red one (her trike is a classic red trike). I am kicking myself because we were at an event last weekend where they were fitting kids for bike helmets and giving them away free, and I didn't get one because I thought we weren't going to use it.

My kids did, partly because they tended to tip over on their trikes and I didn't want them to hit their heads on the cement, but mainly to make it a habit for when they started riding bikes - they were used to helmets by then.

my middle son was pulling my younger son in his wagon and the wagon hit a rock. my younger son fell out, onto the concrete....he of course hit his head but didnt get hurt b/c he had a helmet on. he wears a helmet w/ everything w/ wheels, like someone else said....call around to the fire depts etc. etc. if you think it wont be dangerous.

No, I don't make my 2 yr. old wear a helmet on his trike. I do on his bike with training wheels or his roller skates.
I don't think he's more likely to fall and hit his head while on his trike than running around.

Yes, my 2 year old wears a helmet on his trike. For one, because he's fallen off of it, and for two, I figure it's better to start off young with helmet wearing so it's ingrained as the right thing to do when he gets old enough for a bike, and we don't have to battle about it.

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It's now 2nd nature for my kids to be wearing a helmet when on their trike or bike. They don't even sit down on them until their helmets are properly strapped on. Even a fall from a very short distance up onto a hard surface can cause serious head injury, it's not a chance I want to take.

yep! Every time. She's fallen off a few times, it's the law for everyone under 18 to be wearing a helmet and since I was saved a head injury by my helmet about 15 yrs ago, I feel strongly about helmets.

Plus, it's just a good habit to get into. Nobody goes biking/ triking in our family without their helmet. (the kids don't go in the trailer without a helmet either!)

No, I don't make my 2 yr. old wear a helmet on his trike. I do on his bike with training wheels or his roller skates.
I don't think he's more likely to fall and hit his head while on his trike than running around.

funny thing, my kid loves to ride his bike at the park, but then also runs around on the play equipment and park in between rides. He doesn't ask me to take his helmet off (now he can do it himself, but still doesn't) usually, and he runs around with it on. Mind you I don't think he needs it, but it doesn't hurt! Of course he looks like a dork, but who cares, lol.

My 3 y.o. wears his bike helmet any time he is on his bike (with training wheels).

My 21 month old rides on one of those trikes with a parent handle, foot rests and a seat belt. I will admit that I don't put a helmet on him when he's on it. :

I know I should but I don't. The main reason is because I haven't bought one yet. I know that's a bad excuse!! I guess I excuse it because I'm always at arms reach and it has a belt but I know that doesn't prevent all accidents.

Mommy to THREE sweet boys & ONE sweet girl + a newb due in February! I need a nap.

Yep, I mean, I have had friends tell me scooter riders don't need helmets either and like I said earlier a kid died because of a serious head injury while riding in front of his house on his scooter without a helmet.

At home on the grass, no. On the sidewalk, yes.
At preschool, our boys often like to bring their own, but they don't use them there because they want to avoid spreading lice.
However at the preschool where I taught, all the kids wore helmets on the little bike path outside and we never had any lice problems so I guess we were lucky.

when I was a child I had a serious concussion and facial injuries from riding my bike on the sidewalk. My shoe lace got caught up in the peddles. the bike stopped suddenly and I went head over heels over head over heels, under bike lol. It wasn't a tricycle, but it was a self inflicted injury and not on the road.

I think part of the problem with bikes/tricycles/scooters is that the person doesn't just fall off of it. They tend to be holding on and take the bike with them. So they aren't bracing themsleves like if they had been running, suddenly tripped and put their arms out to break the fall. KWIM? When my boys fall while on their tricycle, 99% of the time, the tricycle tips over with them on it. Makes for a not so nice landing...yikes!!

We live in a cul de sac and I'm the only Mom that enforces the helmet rule. But my kids are so used to it that they never complain.

And I liked how a previous poster said "If it has wheels, wear a helmet!" I think I'll steal that and use it with my boys...lol

At home on the grass, no. On the sidewalk, yes.
At preschool, our boys often like to bring their own, but they don't use them there because they want to avoid spreading lice.
However at the preschool where I taught, all the kids wore helmets on the little bike path outside and we never had any lice problems so I guess we were lucky.

When my sons were in preschool, they had their own helmets. We had to purchase a helmet for them and they would have their name on it. i find it negligent for a preschool not to consider the safety issues.

btw, although im not a fan of Wally World, they sell toddler helmets for $7!!